Beloved Author Tracie Peterson Concludes Her Popular LONE STAR BRIDES Series
Texas born and raised Jessica Atherton is a wealthy young woman whose heart was broken when the man she intended to marry wedded another. But her world is upended when two men come into her life and both manage to stir her heart. Harrison Gable is a rich young lawyer who intends to travel the world and live a life of opulence. His ambitions match Jessica’s dreams, but her heart has begun to change.
Austin Todd, former Secret Service agent, enjoys working now as a Texas Ranger cattle inspector. But learning of forged gold certificates and missing printing plates, he’s drawn back into the world of intrigue and agrees to help solve the case. Austin is well-thought-of and admired in the community. Jessica is drawn to his kind nature and the unspoken pain she sees in his eyes.
Will Jessica choose financial security or follow her heart?
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
PAGES: 313
~*~*~*~*~
A big thanks to Bethany House Publishers and Tracie Peterson for sending me this book to read and review! I appreciate it. As always, the following review is completely honest and not affected by the fact that I was given this book for free.
A Matter of Heart follows the story of Jessica Atherton, a young woman of wealth and prestige, who decides to change her outlook on life after a particularly hard heartbreak. When two men come into her life, she finds herself torn between the two. One man is a reflection of who she is, and one man challenges her to become a better, stronger woman. One is an easy choice and the other is much harder. Whom will she choose?
MORAL RATING:
G: Yay for clean fiction!
THE GOOD:
I enjoyed the character of Jessica Atherton. She’s a headstrong, dedicated woman and when she discovers that there’s something wrong with the way that she is living her life, she endeavors to change. Even when she often resorts to her old behaviors, she continues to strive to be a better woman. I admire her!
Also, the cover is gorgeous. I want to wear baby’s breath in my hair like Ms. Atherton…
THE BAD:
This novel fell apart for me at several plot points.
This is a Christian historical romance, but the romance seemed too unbelievable to me. There wasn’t enough interaction between Jessica and the man that she chose for them to fall in love. At most, there were a couple glances interchanged and some conversation, but I didn’t feel the chemistry. Also, Harrison Gable seemed to be an unnecessary addition to the novel; he was just sort of thrown in the mix. He added a weird love triangle aspect to the novel that I didn’t like.
There was a subplot involving forged gold certificates, but I couldn’t quite understand all the confusing details. This was probably a personal thing, but I didn’t know what was going on half of the time.
SOUNDTRACK:
Bloom by Paper Kites has been a favorite of mine for a long time… It’s such a beautiful song and I think it fits Jessica and her man quite nicely.
MY VERDICT:
Overall, I’d give this novel a 3/5 heart rating! I didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t super impressed by it either. I think the characters and story plot could have used a bit more development, but, otherwise, it was fine! If you’re not overly picky with your Christian Historical romances, you’d probably enjoy this one.
"I Think I'm Obsessed" 